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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23282899">Episode Two: Imperial Camp</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JateGreen/pseuds/JateGreen'>JateGreen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:07:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23282899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JateGreen/pseuds/JateGreen</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Episode Two: Imperial Camp</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Relie sensed was a stiffness in her back. She tried to feel out where it was coming from with her mind, not yet ready to move physically. As she was taking mental note about why she might be on her stomach (she always slept on her back) she became aware of another sound. She knew she had heard it before but could not quite place it. It was a sort of whining with a high pitched squeal. Something about grit, grand...grind! The sound she was hearing was a grindstone. Why am I be hearing someone using a grindstone,” she thought, we don’t have one aboard the ship. All at once, the images of the previous night came flooding back. Grindstones were only used in towns and camps; had the thieves taken her back!? Was she a captive now, after how hard she had fought to escape them?<br/>
She came to life all at once and rolled over on her back, instantly wishing she had not done so. A spasm of pain shot into her mind like a branding iron placed to her skin. She quickly rolled back over and there was a laugh from somewhere beside her. It didn’t sound cruel but had a good natured tone. “Whoa, easy there, little one,” the voice said, “You are safe and are with the soldiers of the Imperial Legion. Relie turned her face towards the source of the voice and saw an Imperial Legate sitting in a chair fairly close to the mat she lay upon. So, I made it to the camp after all. But why did her back hurt so bad? She reached a hand to find a bandage and the wound there sent another spasm of pain through her body. She looked at the Legate, “An arrow?”<br/>
He nodded, “Ebony dart and well placed too. If you had been shot like that out in the wilderness without any aid, you would have perished quickly.” His face turned hard then, “Damn thieves. Someone in the Rift has been supplying that bunch with Ebony and Elven arrows and when I find out who, we will move in and take them out. It’s bad enough having iron and steel shot at you when you’re trying to take a leak in the woods.”  Relie laughed surprisingly loud and it made the pain in her back lessen and she allowed herself to laugh long. When she stopped, she slowly moved to a sitting position. The bandage flexing against her wound hurt but it was manageable if she went slow. Even so, the pain made it difficult to breath in deeply properly. “Thank you, Legate, for saving me from those robbers. I appreciate what you have done for me but I was on my way to Riften and I really should be on my way.”<br/>
She stood awkwardly and put out a hand to steady herself. The Imperial was there quickly and caught her arm. “You should rest, Miss. Another few days here will see you strong enough for you to continue on you way.” The pain was excruciating and all Relie could manage was a nod of her head and she allowed him to lead her to the chair he had risen from. As she was seated, a few of the other soldiers came over and one of them offered her Alto Wine. She wrinkles her nose at it and another offered her a bottle of ale. She grabbed it out of his hand and quickly began to drink down its contents. This drew a long hearty laugh from the Legate, “My but she would put the best drinkers in the Legion to shame.” The others joined in the jest, which made Relie almost shoot ale out her nose and made them all laugh the harder.<br/>
As the soldiers went about their daily chores, Relie looked at the Legate’s face for the first time since she had woken and shock crossed her face. The Legate saw and whipped around, drawing his blade, “What is it? Is it that damn bear again?” “No, no, it isn’t that.” she said, “It’s just, well, I couldn’t help but notice that you...you’re a...” her voice trailed off and she took another sip of the ale. He turned back around, “Ah, that I am Altmer?” Relie nodded, looking embarrassed that she had admitted to staring at his skin and features. The Legate sheathed his sword and waved a hand in the air. “Think nothing of it, Miss, I get that a lot around here.”<br/>
“My name is Relie.”<br/>
He said nothing, but took time to look at her. “You’re a Breton then, from High Rock?”<br/>
“Yes, that’s right. You’re good with discerning features.”<br/>
He shrugged, “I’ve traveled all of Tamriel and a good portion of its oceans. I’ve seen many individuals from all its cultures and can usually tell where someone is from by looking at them.” A moment passed between them in silence. “But, yes as you have pointed out, I am Altmer, but I am not part of the Legion because of the outcome of the war. That is something Ulfric and his Stormcloaks do not seem to understand.”<br/>
“Why are you here then? You have to admit the timing is convenient.” He looked at her and for a moment Relie thought she had offended him and was about to apologize when he breathed in deeply. “I realize there are fanatics from my land—radicals that believe the worship of Talos must be banned in all corners of Skyrim. I am here to fight the Stormcloaks, yes, but it is also to keep an eye on my fellow Altmer and to make sure their zeal is not misplaced to harm Skyrim’s innocent citizens. Believe me, Relie, there are those from my land that would not bat an eye to the genocide of the Nords.”<br/>
“Why are they so hateful towards them? What have the Nords ever done to any of the Elves?”<br/>
The Legate chuckled, “Ever heard of Ysgramor?” She shook her head. Now it was her turn to look at her shocked. When he saw that she was not being funny, he coughed, “Oh, well the short of it is that the Elves, mainly the Snow Elves used to have possession of Skyrim as their own before the Nords came across the icy ocean to the North and booted us out.” Relie was interested now. Skyrim was once a land of Elves? If she ever found a manuscript about this Ysgramor fellow she would have to remember to read about him. The Legate’s attention was drawn away as one of the soldiers hailed him with a question from one end of camp. “If you’ll excuse me, Relie. Take as much time to rest here as you need. Perhaps tomorrow you would like to explore the area surrounding the camp and get your strength back on your feet a little.” As he walked out of the tent, Relie slowly lowered herself down from the chair and laid back down on the mat and rested her eyes. It was not long before she was drifting in a peaceful sleep.<br/>
*			*			*<br/>
Relie woke the next morning, surprised that she had slept the greater part of the last day away. The sun was just cresting the tree tops and a few birds had begun their morning tunes. She stretched carefully and was pleasantly surprised to find her back a little stronger than the day before. One of the soldiers must have had some skill as a healer or else, she knew, her body would not be recuperating as quickly as it was. Maybe the Legate, being an Elf, knew a thing or two about the healing arts that these Imperials by birth, did not. Then again, they were all professional soldiers and being wounded and having to bind wounds and set broken bones would be part of their daily lives. Some of them surely would have learned the basics in taking care of their injured comrades.<br/>
Relie looked about the tent and found her weapons by the opening. She rose and found food and drink on the table, which she immediately began to eat with a healthy appetite. After the few bottles of ale were gone, she walked over to where her bow rested. There was a note that read: Busy today, have fun exploring, -Legate. She slung the bow over her shoulder and tied the sword to her side. After stretching a little and feeling out the spots that were still sore and the restrictions to her movement, she stepped out into the early morning. There was a little chill to the air but not so much as to be unpleasant. As she left the camp, no one paid her any mind and it was clear that she was truly free to do as she would. As she wandered past where a few horses were kept, she saw a nearby field littered with bodies. As Relie walked among them, she realized they were the bandits who had tried to thieve from her when she first entered the Rift. The leader’s body was almost completely without any clear, distinct wound. She saw that an Imperial arrow had shot clean through his body. His face was blue and his colorless eyes stared up at the sky. She took what gear had not already been taken by the Imperials but left the few women fully clothed, taking time to utter a few words to each.<br/>
She wondered the land about the camp, taking time for target practice, shooting her bow and feeling the muscles in her back become strong once more. Relie looked around and breathed in the morning scents. She hoped that the town of Riften stood in this part of Skyrim; she was growing to love it here, despite almost dying at the hands of some of the inhabitants. The rocky crags stretched skyward the way they did back in High Rock and the deer were plentiful. There were some things that she remembered about her past, before the horror aboard the ship. Most of it was the geography and towns she had seen. Of her family and friends, she could not remember anything. Relie decided she would bring back venison for the troops as her way of thanking them for their hospitality. She found a deer that was more bulky than the others and she pulled back quickly on her bow. A spasm went through her back, impeding the accuracy of the shot. The arrow flew and hit the deer she had intended, but did not bring it down. She startled and injured animal gave a cry and bolted up a hill and out of sight. Relie uttered an oath and began after the animal. After only a few moments, however, the deer was running back towards her. She raised her bow again, taking more time to stretch her back slowly with the shot. She studied her shot with one eye closed. She exhaled...and sucked in breath again quickly. She flung herself to one side of the path, forgetting the deer. Behind was a massive brown bear! It was the largest beast she had ever seen in the wild. She waited as they both passed her and then ran up to the highest point to see how the chase would unfold. If the bear did not mangle the body too badly, she may still be able to bring a portion of it back to camp. Relie looked at where the deer was the leading the beast and her breath caught in her throat. It was leading the beast straight towards a few soldiers on the outskirts of the camp. The Legate was with them. She jumped off of the rock, ignoring the burning pain that seared down her spine. As she ran down towards the camp, she replaced her bow and began to unfasten the strap that held her sword in place.<br/>
The bear had grown in this back corner of the Rift for five dozen years and it had become used to being the dominant predator of the land. There had always been plentiful deer to hunt and cool water to drink nearby. Then the Imperials had come and set up their tents in his favorite resting place. There were other spots to rest, of course, but none as good as that stretch of hillside. The grass there was softer then anywhere else for miles around. Plus, it gave the best lookout for things coming up the valley from the Old Road. When he realized where the deer was taking him, he decided it was time to teach these bi-pedal trespassers who was really in charge of these hills. Not far ahead, he saw a group of them in their pathetic brown hides, which would not be any match for his claws and teeth. There was a glint of armor from the sun bouncing off of one of the beings. It was an Elf! There was nothing he hated more than Elves; he had killed his share in Morrowind before they had driven him out in his youth and sent him across the border to this place. The Elf would die first, then the rest.<br/>
There was a shout and the Legate pointed. That damn bear was back! The beast had wrecked havoc in the camp last time and had seriously injured two of his men before they had run him off. They all learned that time that arrows were no use against the beast’s thick hide. No, this time it would be cold steel. A deer ran past them and the Legate strode to face the creature, brandishing his blade as the sun fully rose and drenched the hillsides with its light. The bear stopped twenty feet from him and reared up on its hind legs, waving its massive paws in the air. It was enough to intimidate anyone, but the Legate stood his ground. The bear dropped and began to charge and the other soldiers were calling out and running up to help their comrades. Relie saw that they would not reach the hill before the Legate closed with the beast. The bear barreled forward and the Legate prepared a mighty swing of blade in his hands. For all his bravery, the sword was knocked easily from his grasp and he was sent sprawling on the grass. The two soldiers that were with him were knocked aside just as easily, the huge beast shoving them off of their feet with thrusts from its enormous head. Then he turned to stand above the Legate, roaring, and the sound of death was in its voice. The bear lifted a paw, claws glittering in the sunlight and he was rewarded with the Elf’s eyes growing wide and seeing genuine fear upon its face as the little thing realized the moment of death come upon him. One moment the claws were falling and in the next red blood was spurting from the stub where the paw had once been. The bear backed up in pain and confusion. How? Then it looked down to see a tiny thing with a bloodied sword before it, standing over the Legate. He did not know what she was, but she had slightly pointed ears and had saved the life of an Elf. Therefore, it reasoned, she must be some kind of Elf-race. Plus she was so tiny! He would enjoy making this little Elf bleed as it had just done to him. The bear roared and, to its surprise, the little thing roared back. Relie began to walk towards the beast slowly. “Come on!” she cried. “I’ve survived a Dragon, you think I’m afraid of you? Come on.” The bear took a few paces back, being careful of its bloody stump. Who did this little thing think it was to talk to him like that. Besides, what in Oblivion was a Draw-gone? He was the most ferocious thing in these lands and had been for years and he would teach this thing a lesson or two. The bear lunged and swiped its claws in a downward arc. Relie brought her blade up, the claws grating down the length of the blade. She sliced at the bear and shaved off fur from its face. She saw its stunned expression and then she was parrying and slicing and jabbing her way forward.<br/>
When it was all over, the beast lay dead at her feet, its blood splattered on her arms and face. She turned to see five Imperial soldiers and the Legate, starring at her completely dumbfounded. As she walked over to them she said, “Well, don’t just stand there, boys. We’ve got bear steaks to prepare. I’m going to wash up.” No one said a word as she marched down the hillside towards the nearby stream. She looked up and once against saw the largest mountain in the land looming over her and once again felt the irresistible tug on her heart to climb it and see what was at the top.<br/>
*			*			*<br/>
That night, as Relie chewed the cooked meat, with bear fat dribbling down her chin, the Legate came to site down beside her. She grinned at him and he grinned back. “I wanted to thank you for saving my life,” he said. “I probably would not be sitting here today if it was not for what you did.” She passed him an ale, which he gladly accepted, “Yeah, I need one of those.” After he had taken a long swig, he asked, “is it true what you said about surviving a Dragon attack?” When she nodded she whistled, “Then the Stormcloaks are the least of our worries. You know, Relie, you handled yourself pretty well earlier today. The Legion is always looking for strong and capable warriors. Now that the Dragon’s are returning, people need to be warned. I suggest you go to Whiterun and tell Jarl Balgruuf the Greater of this.”<br/>
“Is it on the way to Riften?”<br/>
The Legate’s smile disappeared, “No, it is in the opposite direction.” “Oh,” was all she said. Neither spoke again the rest of the night.<br/>
*			*			*<br/>
The next morning the Legate found Relie packed, weapons at her side and on her back. “You’ll be going to Riften then.” It was not a question but she nodded anyway. He was about to leaved when she turned and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for everything you have done. I will not forget your kindness.”<br/>
“Nor I, yours Relie Aurielle.” he turned quickly and as he was leaving, she called out, “Hey, what? Why did you call me that?”<br/>
“Because Relie, it is who you are.” She watched him go. She knew she must have a last name but for those who had been caught for the ship, the beatings had been...brutal. Was this her true name? And, if so, how had the Legate known and what did it mean? Thinking thus, she turned and walked away from the camp and towards the road one of the soldiers had said would take her to Riften.<br/>
*			*			*<br/>
Relie journeyed along the road, taking in the scenery of the trees and the lake that dotted the area. There were thieves working on their own who had tried to bother her. That was their last day seeing the light and she dealt with them easily enough. Sometime around noon it began to rain and she passed by a fire. It was clearly deserted, but there was a cave nearby and probably where those who had made the camp had gone. She was drawn to the warm furs and she looked around, enjoying the fire. It was purposefully stocked so that it would not go out; she would just sit in out of the rain and wait for those in the cave to return and ask to share a meal with them. She waited for an hour and when no one appeared, she crawled beneath the shelter, happy to be out of the rain. There was a table near the shelter with some books upon it, yet they did not get wet. Some magic protected them and as the raindrops hit their covers, the invisible shielding glowed faintly blue and rippled across its surface. This was not a thieves camp, she decided and was sure whoever the camp belonged to, they would not mind her being there. She took off her boots and stretched her legs into the sleeping bag, feeling the warm sabre fur on her toes. It was not the cot that she had wanted since leaving Helgen, but it was warm and dry. She would snooze and listen to the sound of the rain while she waited for the party in the cave to return to their camp.<br/>
Every now and then Relie would look over at the fire and see the flames begin to die down. She would wiggle out of the furs, go over to the log pile that had been prepared, and add a few pieces to revive the flames. She brought her hands up to her face and breathed in the scent of the wood. It was one that she was not familiar to her and that was part of the reason she enjoyed it. It was something new. Aboard the ship there were only so many smells the wood could hold: sweat, blood, semen and tears. And it was always cold on deck, even when they were at port in Hammerfell, a lasting memory of hers would be how cold the deck felt to her bare feet. But this wood carried a warmth within it that one would not guess would be for something that had been rained on all day.<br/>
When she had crawled back under the covers, she sighed. She really wished Hadvar was with her now. And where were those people who had gone into the cave? She reached up to the books on the table and brought them down inside the shelter. One was a journal of someone named Madresi Dran and how they had hired workers to excavate this cave, apparently for ancient treasures. Well, that was it. She got up and walked towards the mouth of the cave. Looking for treasure sounded a lot more fun that waiting around here and her curiosity had gotten the better of her. As the sun was setting, she crept up to the cave’s opening and after listening for a moment or two, stepped inside.<br/>
*			*			*<br/>
As she went down deeper into the mouth, it brought back memories of her childhood, long suppressed by working on the ship. She had explored caves as a child. High Rock had lots of caves by the shoreline, washed out by the constant tide and surrounded most of the province. In fact, if High Rock was not connected to the slopes of Skyrim’s Western mountains, it could be an island, the sea separating the Breton people from the land of the Nords. The waves had smoothed the rock of those caves upon either side of the pathways. This one in Skyrim, however, was rugged and looked like it was made from the meticulous swing of a pick over many months. Relie wondered what sort of treasures this Madresi Darn was looking for. She was soon able to ask, for as she rounded a corner, there stood a Dunmer woman pacing back and forth and mumbling to herself. “The stupid fools!. How am I supposed to get it now? Can’t even bribe people with gold anymore.”<br/>
“I can be,” Relie piped up. The woman whipped around. “If the price is good enough.” “Well, looke here,” Dran said. “How long have you been listenin’ up there, Missy?”<br/>
“Long enough to hear that your work force abandoned you.” Relie began to walk down the man-made wooden steps to where the woman stood.<br/>
“True enough, young blood. You’d think they’d never seen Draugr before. First sign of ‘em and they turned tail and ran. Some of them even had the tails to prove it.”<br/>
“What are Draugr? Are they a type of  giant spider or something?”<br/>
“Not from around here are you, my sweet? Well, Draugr are undead; corpses that for one reason or another have decided they didn’t want to stay dead. Say, you look tough enough. I tell you what: you clear out the Draugr for me and I’ll split the treasure with you, fifty-fifty.” Relie personally liked those odds and agreed. After she had signed the Dark Elf’s contract, stating that Dran was not responsible for loss of life, limbs or arrows to the knees, Relie was on her way downwards once more to see what Draugr were and how hard the undead were to put into the grave a second time.<br/>
*			*			*<br/>
Relie sneaked through the caverns until she came to a ruined open space enclosed by an iron gate. Within the space there came abnormal grunting sounds. She took her bow carefully from her back and made sure she kept to the shadows. Crouching, she made her way slowly to the source of the grunting. After Dragon and overly large bear, these things did not frighten her. All the same, they did give her pause. Why would the dead come back now? She sensed that the civil war would be the least of Skyrim’s worries if the dead were ever to break free of their subterranean mansions and loosed upon the living above. What had happened in this land, she thought, that not even death was sacred any longer? Which Divine was looking down and taking pride in their ability to make mortals their playthings even in death? Oblivion damn them all.” The Divines had never been helpful in her own life. Her thoughts came back as the creatures came into her line of sight.<br/>
She stopped moving and watched as the beings as the walked. There were three corpses, walking about like zombies and they carried the weapons that had served them in life. Their bodies were emaciated but were not skeletons. She could clearly see that their bodies had substance, flesh and veins wrapped around their bodies and their eyes glowed with unholy light. She could do nothing about the Divines but she could lay these unfortunates to rest once more. Three times she drew...and three bodies hit the cavern floor.<br/>
*			*			*<br/>
Eventually all traps and Draugr were cleared. Unfortunately Dran, in her excitement, never took thought that the treasure may be guarded by one last trap on the other side of the last gate. Two slabs of stone, one dropping from above and the other rising from below and a particularly gruesome crunching sound, and Dran was no more. Multiple rivulets of blood ran down the sides of the stone and puddled upon the floor before Relie’s feet. She walked a little to one side and saw that the stone contained a stairway leading down. Walking through the dripping of Dran’s blood, she entered and slowly descended. She felt as if she were now going to find the true pleasure of this place and that everything she had found thus far, the rubies and sapphires, the gold and silver ingots, was only leading to this place. Even so, if she stopped now, she had still amassed a small fortune in this place. Her gold alone had grown nearly one thousand coins! She had never felt so powerful. Less than a week ago she had been a slave, earning on copper piece a week and now she had more gold than she could spend in a month!<br/>
The stairway led her to an open chamber with a large half-circle pavilion. She walked up to this and stared; she had never seen anything like this in her life. The wall was covered with dozens of carvings and it was in a language she did not understand. Relie walked up to one of them and placed a few fingers to the cold stone. As soon as she had a blue light seemed to fill on of the carvings. Retrieving her hand as if she had been burned, Relie backed up a few paces. She watched as the light grew and the crackling of flames rose from the wall. The flame sparked out of the carved words and began to flow out towards her. She put up her hands in defense and the blue wrapped around her wrists and up her back. The rest of her arrow wound was healed instantly. As the flame dissipated she took off the bandage the Legate had secured around her and felt where the wound had once been. New flesh, smooth and healthy was there, not even a trace of a scar that she was sure she would carry from the arrow. She let the bandage drop to the floor, the cloth still bearing the stain of her blood.<br/>
How foolish had she been to think that accumulating gold would make her feel power, for what she felt now made her feel stronger than she had ever in her entire life. It made her feel like grabbing the first male that crossed her path, slamming him against mountain stone and taking her pleasure of him at her leisure. Her nipples grew hard at the thought and she laughed quietly to herself in that dark cavern so far underground. In a few moments the sensation faded and she cursed herself lightly for not thinking about getting back to the surface, standing in an abandoned place all alone with lustful thoughts. She supposed that with Dran dead, the treasure was hers completely and how she would arrive at Riften a fairly wealthy woman.<br/>
*			*			*<br/>
A few days later, as the guard opened the gate, a shiver ran up Relie’s spine. She was walking into the first real town she had come across since she had left the ship on the coast. Well, one that wasn’t filled with people wanting to cut her head off or Dragon fire attempting to sear the flesh off her bones. She stared up into the mist that hovered over the wooden balconies. The mist was thick, causing water droplets to form on her skin and armor. The lake she had traveled around to get to this place was expansive and it reminded her of the sea. It was large enough to have its own tide and the water lapped at the shoreline in a peaceful manner. As she looked around, Relie saw that the buildings were made of wood, hardly any stone was used here in this town. She breathed in deeply. She had arrived and it was here she would begin again, to begin anew in Riften.</p>
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